Closed Training and then Some[Orin]

[Claudia Blackwood]

78th of Spring , 515 AV

Today was a different sort of day. Claudia woke up early, without any of the usual fuss that accompanied her. She tied her hair back into its usual ponytail before setting off. The sun was just about to rise, its rays of light peeking through the clouds in the dark dawn sky. She had a long day of training ahead of her. She really had to improve her by quite a large margin if she was interested in being a better mercenary that she would be. Thinking about the various things that she needed to train on, she realised that it was actually quite a fair lot. Running, Endurance, Sword Fighting, among many others. She gave a quick sigh, seeing how far she was from her goal. She had to make her way to the Anthonius Fighter’s Pits. A training was in order.

Seeing as how she needed to make her way there anyhow, she decided to do something a little different this time. Instead of walking or strolling leisurely to the pits, she instead do a jog or run to the pits. That way, she could start her training before she even arrived at the training pits. She needed to improve her stamina anyway, and running was a simple and easy way to aid in that.

In fact, Claudia should make a mental note to include running laps around the city, as part of her training routine. That should help her quite a fair bit. She patted herself for the fantastic idea she had, even though it wasn't even all that brilliant. She started slowly, warming up and gradually increased her speed as her slow jog increased into a faster run. It wasn't quite a sprint yet, but neither was it a jog. Her journey started from the The Herald's Arms, where she had a room where she called home.

It was her only home, apart from the one she lived in with her parents when she was young. This was the first time, she was actually running with exercise in mind. She maintained a fast enough speed, not going too slow or too fast. She didn't want to exhaust herself just about yet.

Despite that, she wasn't used to running for an extended period of time, she was beginning to tire. As she reached her destination, her chest was heaving, and her breath was leaving her in ragged gasps. She slowed down into a slow walk, taking in deep breaths, before controlling her breathing, until she had finally settled down. With her heart no longer threatening to jump out of her chest, she began walking into the Anthonius Fighter’s Pits. Claudia had already worked quite a bit of sweat, and her shirt was damp with perspiration.

She took a quick glance around the pits, and noticed that things weren't as different the last she was here. There were only a couple of people here and there, training or sparring with each other in a variety of ways. Some were sparring with weapons, other with their fists, while others were wrestling each other on straw mats. The sun was getting warmer, and with that the weather. She sulked at the thought of that, hating the heat, and any type of warm weather.

Finding a random empty spot in the grounds, she spread a legs slightly apart from each other taking a wide stance. Raising up both her arms, she stretched out her left leg, arching her foot pointing forwards. Starting forwards, she took a stride, with her left leg bent forward, and body facing forwards, she leap off the ground, her palms facing down onto the ground, with one foot on the ground, and the other in the air. Kicking up the foot still on the ground, and lining up her feet so that she would remain perpendicular to the ground, she lost her balance and tumbled to the ground with a crash.

She let out a cry of pain, as her bum hit the ground hard. Determined to make it, she brushed aside the pain and tried once more. This time, as she kicked off the legs into the air, with her entire body in a vertical position, she squeezed her feet and legs together, tightening her abs. She managed to stay in that position for several chimes, before stepping back down again. A satisfied grin was on her face, glad that she had achieved a handstand.

Unsheathing her gladius, she gripped it firmly as she went to work on her moves. Slashes, stabs, and thrusts were worked on, as she worked what she knew with the blade, practising low thrusts, high stabs and medium slashes. She also practised several of the spinning thrusts with her gladius, doing a twirl before lunging forward with her blade. The gladius was not a common blade of choice, and she could see the reason why. It was neither a sword nor a dagger, and also longer than a shortsword, but no less deadly.

Not wanting to blunt her blade's edge on a dummy, she sheathed her sword, and walked over to the practice with her fists. She worked on her punching, boxing away at the dummy,throwing punches high and low, hitting the dummy with whatever moves she knew. She finished with a high kick towards the head of the dummy. The dummy shook from the force of the kick, as her chest heaved slightly from the exertion, perspiration flowing readily down her face. Her feet was hurting from the kick, but she knew that pain was just a by product of success.

[Orin Fenix]

Orin was sweating already and he’d barely done anything in the Fighter’s pits yet. Mostly that stemmed from the the temperature which was getting significantly hotter as Summer approached. Orin groaned at the thought of working in The Rearing Stallion today. And he didn’t even want to think about what that kitchen would feel like during the summer. If Orin ever got a kitchen, he’d hopefully design it with wide window flaps that could be shuttered against the winter cold but then thrown wide open to catch a breeze in the hotter seasons. Otherwise, the fires in the kitchen made it practically unbearable.

When he’d woken up this morning, the humidity had made him especially lethargic. Instead of his usual run to the Fighter’s Pits, Orin had shuffled down there, his guilt for skimping on his routine deepening with every step. The corridors were incredibly stuffy and Orin couldn’t imagine what running in them would have done to Orin’s mental and physical state. When he reached the open air outside Stormhold Citadel, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was still hot especially in the direct sunlight, but at least the air was fresh. However, that took away Orin’s excuse for not moving at a quicker pace, so Orin broke into a jog for the short distance left to the Pits. When he arrived, Orin didn’t feel warmed-up even if he was boiling so he ran a few laps until he came to a stumbling halt. Refusing to let himself give in to the heat, Orin moved on to the next set of exercises. Ser Kevith had been kind enough to check in with Orin’s training regimen every once in a while. Orin had a shrewd suspicion that the former Knight saw Orin as someone as close to a squire as he would ever get, so Kevith took an interest so he could still feel that he was doing his part for the city. Whatever the reason, Orin was just glad that if he started messing up someone could eventually correct him.

Ser Kevith had told Orin that in addition to the tumbles Orin had been working on, Orin should try to master a handstand. While it had no immediate use in combat, apparently it was excellent training for both balance and strength. Of course Orin was simply terrible at it, since he had never good balance nor an ounce of strength in his body. Still, not wanting to disappoint the older man, Orin had been practicing faithfully. He tended to alternate between the tumble and the roll. Hopefully the training would pay off eventually, but for now Orin was picking up a nice set of bruises every time he fell over. Falling forward in as controlled a fashion as possible, Orin slammed his palms into the ground and at the same time kicked off the ground with his feet. Orin hadn’t put enough force behind it, so his feet only traveled half the distance before they fell back to the ground. Orin got up, and then did it again, this time paying particular attention to his legs. Unfortunately he’d overcompensated and his legs flew over his body leaving Orin to crash to the ground. His back impacted with enough force to bruise and Orin simply lay there for a moment, unwilling to continue such self-inflicted pain. Deciding that the handstand was probably a lost cause for today, Orin got up and dusted himself off. Making his way over to the weapons racks Orin picked up the blunted dagger that he always used when he wasn’t using his real weapons. He smiled at it fondly. The first time he’d come to the Pits this dagger had been his choice and it had served him well ever since. While Orin didn’t think he was all that good yet, he had definitely come a long way from that timid boy who refused to speak to a squire. His resolution to be open to new possibilities had led not only to a whole host of adventures but also to a new self-confidence that Orin cherished.

Thinking of the first day he’d come to the Pits gave Orin an idea for practice. Going over to the dummy, Orin gripped the dagger firmly in his left hand, since his right was significantly more skilled and Orin was trying to get them to an equal level. Garland had showed Orin the vital points to target on an opponent at the beginning, and Orin hadn’t done much to practice with those. So Orin began a careful series of slashes and stabs, aiming for the neck, the chest, and the gut. It was good practice although Orin would obviously have to adjust for different heights and body types. And if the opponent was wearing armor, then Orin didn’t know what he’d do. Probably he should aim for what few gaps the armor provided, namely at the joints or if Orin was feeling particularly bold, the eye slits. Or, more likely, Orin should just run away since armor was cumbersome and would prevent even the faster opponent from catching up to Orin as he fled.

As Orin was taking a break, he scanned the Fighter’s Pits. He came here often enough that he knew a few faces here and there although he didn’t interact with them much. However, one person was incredibly familiar and Orin realized that it was Claudia. He watched in awe as she slashed and stabbed with her gladius. She seemed fairly proficient with the blade although Orin didn’t know enough about swordsmanship to make a fair judgement. Still, Orin wouldn’t want to test himself against her. However, when she went over to a training dummy to start pounding away with her fists Orin got up the courage to approach. Since he’d trained Alexander once in the basic art of punching, even though Orin himself was only an amateur combatant, Orin felt confident that he might be able to help Claudia. Or, if not, maybe the two of them could spar. It had been a while since Orin had actually fought anyone and a friendly bout might be good for Orin so he could see where his skills currently were. ”Hey, Claudia! Remember me? What brings you to the Pits today? Don’t the squires have their own training area? Not that I haven’t seen squires here before but it always confused me since I’m sure that your facilities are much nicer than what’s here. How’s the whole squire thing going? I imagine that must be exciting for you. Oh and how’s Holland? Are you two still together. Orin chatted away cheerfully. He didn’t often get a chance to just speak normally to a casual acquaintance and he relished the opportunity. Also, since he was pretty sure Claudia was taken there was absolutely no chance she would take Orin’s attention the wrong way. Finally, Orin realized he’d forgotten to mention the reason he had come over in the first place. ”I meant to ask, that is if you’d be so kind and would like, if you wanted to, I don’t know, train together. I’m pretty bad at fighting so I’d love the chance to work on my skills with someone who I know won’t hurt me too badly. Mind if we stick to hands and feet though? I saw you with your blade earlier and wouldn’t want to try my admittedly paltry skills with my dagger against it.”

[Claudia Blackwood]

Claudia went on working on the dummy, sending punches high and low onto the various parts of the dummy. The weather was getting warmer and warmer the day went by, and her hair was slicked in sweat. Her fists were starting to ache, and so she decided to let them rest for a bit. She proceeded to work on her kicks, but this time she decided to work more on the moves, and less on the force. She didn't want to hurt her feet before the day was even over.

That was not to say that she wanted her feet to get hurt at all if possible. Slightly tired from the outburst of exertion, she leaned herself against the dummy, resting for a couple of chimes. Her mind began to wander as she rested, thinking about what it would be like to be a skilled fighter and warrior, and be sent out on exciting missions and adventures. To be able to fight for a living, oh how exciting that would be. Fighting, or rather combat was in her blood, her father a mercenary before her.

She was broken from her thoughts as a familiar voice pierced the cacophony of combat grunts, shouts and yells in the fighter's pit. Looking around at the source of the voice, she saw that it was Orin the cookboy! She gave him one of her most endearing bright smiles as she saw him approaching. She hadn't seen him in quite a while. Not since that encounter with that horned lady he found at the docks. She thought about the first time they met, back at the New Year's Party at Sayana's place, and how friendly he had been to her. He then asked her,

"Hey, Claudia! Remember me? What brings you to the Pits today? Don’t the squires have their own training area? Not that I haven’t seen squires here before but it always confused me since I’m sure that your facilities are much nicer than what’s here. How’s the whole squire thing going? I imagine that must be exciting for you. Oh and how’s Holland? Are you two still together."

Grinning at him, she replied "Oh course I remember you Orin! How could I forget you? You are quite an unforgettable personality!" The grin vanished from her face as it was promptly replaced by one of solemnity. "Yes, you are right that the squire have much nicer training facilities, but only those in the order are allowed to use it. I'm had decided to leave the order, and am no longer a squire. The squire thing, didn't work out as well as I thought it would. For a lack of a better word, things went to shyke. And it just didn't suit me no more. I don't know what else to say. But what I am excitable about is whats to come in the future. Now that I am no longer tied down by the order, I can be free to go where I want, and be whatever I want. Holland's fine, still training like a maniac, and yes we are still together."

Orin then went silent for several chimes, probably pondering over what she had just said. That was quite the news to take in, although they weren't that close at all. Still, he was a friend, and to say that she was so grateful of that was an understatement. Claudia didn't have many friends, and what she had, she could count on one hand. She appreciate each and everyone one of them, and was always delighted to see any of them. He then rattled on again..

"I meant to ask, that is if you’d be so kind and would like, if you wanted to, I don’t know, train together. I'm pretty bad at fighting so I’d love the chance to work on my skills with someone who I know won’t hurt me too badly. Mind if we stick to hands and feet though? I saw you with your blade earlier and wouldn't want to try my admittedly paltry skills with my dagger against it."

The smile returned to her face, as her eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh yes, I would love to train with you. I don't consider myself any great by any means, so it doesn't matter to me how bad you are. We'll probably be covered in bruises by the end of this." She answered, before letting out a chuckle. "My sword skills are anything to be impressed at. I'm still consider myself to be quite weak at it. But sure, lets stick to our hands and feet. I clearly need more practice with them anyway." Untying a towel she had wrapped around her waist, she wiped off the sweat gathering on her face, before fastening it back on her belt. Stepping away from the dummy, she got into a stance, ready for the spar. "I'm ready whenever you are."

[Orin Fenix]

Orin processed Claudia’s words for a moment. It seem that many of the squires Orin knew personally were growing tired of their status and were thinking of or already had quit. While Orin couldn’t say he blamed them it was a bit shocking that not one, but two of Orin’s acquaintances who were squires were dissatisfied. Orin personally didn’t want to become a squire of course but that was more because he wasn’t a warrior at heart. Sure he could and would fight in a pinch if he had to, but it wasn’t his first instinct and it definitely wasn’t what he wanted to spend the rest of his life doing. Besides, Orin was pretty sure squires were required to stay in Syliras or were only allowed to leave when sanctioned by the Syliran Order. And Orin was longing to travel at some point. Not for a while yet, Orin didn’t have nearly the resources necessary to make his own way in the world yet. But definitely someday Orin would exit the gates and see what was out there. Actually that was probably why Alexander and Claudia hadn’t planned to stay squires. It was horribly restrictive even if it had great perks attached. Maybe the gains weren’t anywhere near the drawbacks.

Still, speculating about it wouldn’t do any good and Orin still had to reply to Claudia. ”Well, as long as you’re happy I’m happy. It seems like you didn’t make this decision lightly and that’s really all one can ask, yeah? And I’m glad to hear that Holland is doing well.” Orin actually knew nothing about the man other than his name and that he was Claudia’s man. Or whatever stage of relationship the two of them were currently in. Orin didn’t want to ask, since that felt like a particularly personal piece of information to be asking a near stranger. After all, Orin had only met Claudia twice before, although the woman had been incredibly kind on both occasions and Orin had managed to keep from making too bad a fool of himself. Maybe this would be the perfect opportunity for the two of them to bond further. As Orin regarded Claudia’s dazzling smile, Orin even began to hope they could become friends.

Still, now that pleasantries had been exchanged it appeared that Claudia at least was ready to get down to business. Orin also was feeling a rising excitement inside himself. This part of him was new. It wasn’t bloodlust or the desire to cause pain, far from it. But it was a simple joy in the abilities of Orin’s body. And there was nothing wrong with that. There were far worse guilty pleasures someone could indulge in. Actually, Orin would probably hazard that this was quite a healthy expression of normal human emotion. While most opponents Orin faced off against had either years of experience or an enormous height and weight advantage, in this case Orin was taller although Claudia probably still had him beat on muscles. However, Orin could use his longer reach to good advantage here. So, it would be a good pairing and matching of skills. Claudia was likely the better combatant but Orin had quite a bit of experience pushing through pain. At least, he thought he did. And he was determined that if he pushed himself then maybe he could actually score a few hits on Claudia. After all, if he could give Aren a slight cut then chances were Orin could give Claudia a few bruises. Of course, Orin had walked away from his training session with Aren barely able to walk, but Orin pushed that thought out of his brain. Hopefully today wouldn’t end up that badly for either of them.

Coming out away from the training dummy, since Orin figured neither he nor Claudia wanted it in the way of their fighting. Coming to rest a good distance away from other sparring matches in the Pits, Orin faced Claudia. ”So, beyond no weapons, do we have any rules? I’d suggest trying to avoid serious injury and maybe stay away from the face. Does that sound good to you?” A cruel thought had been percolating in Orin’s mind throughout that little speech. It would be mean to surprise Claudia without giving her a chance to prepare herself for the bout. Still, in a real fight one’s foe wouldn’t give you the benefit of advanced warning as Orin knew so well. So if Claudia didn’t already know that then perhaps it was time to learn. So, at the end of his last sentence, Orin lashed out without warning, aiming a punch for Claudia’s gut. That was usually a good spot to temporarily disable an opponent. Unfortunately, since Orin hadn’t prepared himself either, his blow lacked the power it normally might have. Still, the shock element might allow Orin to get another shot in before Claudia recovered.

[Claudia Blackwood]

Friends. To think of it, Orin had never once mentioned about the two of them being friends. Perhaps she had jump the gun by assuming they were already friends. She was already treating him like a friend, even though he had never once mentioned to her about being friends. Regardless, that didn't really matter to her. Claudia wouldn't treat him any differently unless he objected. She wanted to be friends with Orin, and unless he said otherwise, she would continue treating him like a friend. She had only seen him twice so far, but what she saw she liked. Orin had a kind heart, had good morals and was nice to others. As good a friend as any she would say. He then answered her,

“Well, as long as you’re happy I’m happy. It seems like you didn’t make this decision lightly and that’s really all one can ask, yeah? And I’m glad to hear that Holland is doing well.”

Claudia grinned as he said that. Especially about the part of him being happy when she was happy. She liked that. Making people happy. She then remarked "You're right. I didn't make that decision lightly. Many day and nights were spent thinking and discussing over and over again, calculating the pros and cons before I came to the decision. Having my father's support only added to the pros, cementing my decision. Holland is doing as well as he usually does." She wasn't sure if the two men got along well, or if at all. But she'd rather not create tension by speaking about him unless otherwise asked. She knew that not all people were comfortable around his hostile and otherwise mean demeanour. She was still trying to work on moulding him into a better person, but it seemed to going at a relatively slow pace.

Now that they were both done with the chatting, they could proceed onto the meat of the matter. The sparring. She could feel excitement bubbling up within her, as she got ready for the fight. She relished fighting whenever she could, even though she wasn't all that great at it yet. One day she would be, she often told herself. One day. The pair of them walked a short distance away from the training dummy, ensuring enough space for the both of them to use in the spar. Her gaze flew over to Orin as she sized up his form. Orin was several heads taller than her, but he was very lean, and didn't seem to have much muscle on him. Her knowledge of the unarmed combat was very limited, and she knew nothing more than several punches and kicks. She wondered how good Orin was at this kind of fighting. He seemed to be pretty confident in his abilities, so she thought that he had to have some skill, or experience in there.

Claudia didn't have much in the way of training, when it came to the arts of unarmed combat. The art and skill of using one's fist to launch blows and legs for kicking was practically unknown to her at this point. Apart from knowing a few moves with her fists and one or two kick moves, she was pretty clueless, thus she was hoping to pick up on some moves that Orin would be using on her, opting to learn the moves the hard, painful way. It was not the most ideal way she had in mind, but she didn't really have anyone free at the moment to coach her in the various moves and strikes associated with the fighting style, so she would have to make do. But with all things said, she herself doubt that Orin was a skilled unarmed combatant. Their spar could be quite the sight indeed, the two of them flailing at each other with what little information the both of them knew. Unless of course, Orin surprised her by being something else.

At a fair distance from the rest of the people sparring in the grounds, facing one another, he said "So, beyond no weapons, do we have any rules? I’d suggest trying to avoid serious injury and maybe stay away from the face. Does that sound good to you?" Claudia replied so after "Yes, how about no having nothing broken? I think that sounds fair. Yeah, let's stay away fro-" Her sentence was abruptly interrupted by a punch to her stomach. Unprepared and unexpected, it knocked the wind out of her, as she gasped, trying to figure out what had just happened. As she looked up at Orin grinning at her, she realised that he played dirty. The spar had started mid-conversation. Claudia clicked her tongue as she tutted. "Oh come on, really?"

Thankfully his jab lacked any real power, and all it had going for it was the shock factor. Still, she had no doubt that by the end of the spar, they would both be covered in bruises. Sneering, she returned with several blows of her own, sending a series of low punches to his gut. The punches were not packed with force, but neither were they devoid of any strength. They were used to test the waters than anything else at the moment.

[Orin Fenix]

OOCSorry it's a bit short. I'm rubbish at writing combat

The sensation of Orin’s fist connecting with Claudia’s stomach filled Orin with a fierce satisfaction. It wasn’t often that Orin actually managed to hit someone in anything. Usually he was the one getting hit. So scoring on Claudia and at least slightly knocking the wind out of her meant that Orin was getting a bit better at this whole combat nonsense. Or at least Orin knew how to fight dirty. But Orin didn’t see anything wrong with that. It wasn’t as if fighting was glamorous or honorable. One did their level best to end their opponents life in a real battle. And usually one person came out of it dead while the other was bruised, battered and bleeding. So Orin saw no reason why he shouldn’t take every opportunity that would let him end up as the one who walked away instead of the one whose life blood was spilling out onto the ground. Still, it wasn’t exactly fair of Orin. That didn’t mean he regretted it, just meant that anyone with a particular code of conduct would have taken offense to his treatment of Claudia. Luckily, there wasn’t anyone there to have seen Orin’s underhanded tactic so that wouldn’t be an issue. ”Well you said no rules beyond no broken bones or face shots so I think I’m covered.” Orin grinned cheekily. He was still feeling a bit heady from his success. And Orin was glad to see that knocking the breath out of your foe was as useful as he’d hoped it would be.

Of course the glow started to fade as Claudia launched a flurry of blows at Orin’s own midsection. What they lacked in finesse they appeared to make up for in pure rage. Maybe that cheap trick hadn’t been the smartest idea after all if it had simply enraged his opponent. Orin had also forgotten what was essentially the first and only rule of a fight, to never let one’s emotions get the better of one’s self. And Orin had done just that. Apparently, just because it was a positive emotion and not a negative one did not mean it was exempt from the rule. As Orin had discovered too late, allowing even happiness to dictate actions in combat. It meant that reactions weren’t based on intellect but on instinct and while Orin liked to think his instincts were pretty good, his brain was far better.

So Orin’s attempts to dodge were just a bit slower than usual as he tried to reenter that almost trancelike state he’d been endeavoring to master. It wasn’t meditative seeing as Orin wasn’t exactly quietly contemplating life and the world. But it certainly did lend a certain focus to his thoughts and actions. He managed to avoid the first punch of Claudia’s but the second slammed into his stomach. It created a ball of agony and Orin wheezed slightly. Still, he’d managed to get into his fighting mode and so his brain catalogued the damage, dismissed it as painful but insignificant, and went in on the offensive. Orin threw a wild jab in return, aiming for Claudia's shoulder. He'd not forgotten his stance, and tried his best to put the whole weight and force of his left side behind the punch. In return for his efforts Orin got another blow. At least it had hit in a different spot. Still these were starting to get annoyingly painful. Trading blows in the hopes that one of them would be forced to give in to the agony they'd made of their bodies was a particularly poor life decision. So Orin decided to switch up his movements a little bit. As Claudia’s next punch came towards Orin, Orin jumped aside, then reached out for Claudia’s wrist. He was hoping if he could get a grip on her arm, he could use her own momentum to throw her down. Either simply directing her downwards with his arms or planting a booted foot on her backside and kicking her to the ground. It was a move that had worked on Orin probably too many times in the past. If he could use it on Claudia though, it might give him a better sense of how to defend against it in the future.

[Claudia Blackwood]

Getting the wind knocked out of you was not a pleasant feeling. Claudia was sure that anyone who had ever fought could attest to that. You would be left gasping for breath as it literally got knocked out of it. The fact that it was unbraced and unexpected only made it even more impactful. Claudia could be seen grinning at Orin after she recovered from the initial shock of the sneaky attack. Looks like he was the first one to draw blood after all. She cocked her head as she tried to assess his emotions. She could see the satisfaction of getting the first blow plainly in his face. His eyes twinkled with delight and his mouth curled into a slight smile. She returned with one of her own. She had a feeling that he wanted to be the one to walk away as the victor with the least bruises. Well, she was more than happy to prove him wrong.

Men who she got into fights or spar with always seemed to think that she was weak or an easy target. She was more than delighted to prove them wrong at every occasion. She'll try her hardest to prove that she is as no weaker than him. If she couldn't win, at least achieve a tie. She took a quick glance around the pits, no one seemed to be paying any attention to them, and so she returned her focus and attention to Orin.

He then cheekily commented. "Well you said no rules beyond no broken bones or face shots so I think I'm covered." The only thing she had to reply to that was "Oh you cheeky bugger, just you wait." before returning him a similar grin of her own. His grin faded as quickly as it came, when series of punches started flying towards his direction. She didn't think that her first few moves contained any finesse of any sort, but that was not the point at the moment. Getting off to a good start was key, as it would lay the foundation and morale for the rest of the spar. She was just hoping to land a hit or two onto Orin. Finesse can come later. Her eyes and brows were narrowed in concentration and focus as she sent blow after blow towards Orin. He managed to avoid the first one, but the second and third landed in his gut.

Claudia felt an innate satisfaction within her, as her fist connected with his flesh. She heard him wheeze as it made contact, before slamming another one into the same area. In retaliation, he threw a wild jab towards her, hitting her squarely in the shoulder. Although she was silent she felt the pain that moment his blow connected with her shoulder. She groaned silently. That would most definitely end up in a bruise.

Orin was clearly better than she had expected. This cookman sure could fight. She followed up with another return punch of her own, hitting him in his pectorals. Hopefully that would turn into a bruise as well, so that she wouldn't be the only one on the receiving end of the bruises.

Feelings. Some said that it would be more helpful to curb ones feelings in the midst of combat, allowing one to concentrate and focus fully on the fight itself, worrying more on the execution of the moves and strikes, and how the opponent reacted, instead on letting emotions run the game impairing the effectiveness of skill. Then, you have the completely opposite group of people that tell you to use your emotions in combat, to fuel your attack moves and strikes. Only when the emotions flow, can they affect your attacks. Increased force when you're angry, careful, planned attacks when you're cautious and excited jabs and strikes when one is eager.

But this group is part of the minority, and not many tend to follow this style, as feelings can be extremely difficult to harness, providing a disadvantage instead of an advantage to those unable to control it correctly.

Several more blows were exchanged between them, with her ducking, evading some of his jabs and punches, while he did the same, evading a couple of hers. This was turning to be quite a spectacle, with both of them trading blows. The monotony of the punches exchange was broken up as Orin went on to do something different this time. Her punch swung wide of him this time, as he leapt aside, confusing her.

He promptly stepped forward, before gripping her wrist firmly in his hands. Her eyes widened in surprise in his sudden deviation of technique. With his grip now on her arm, he pushed her downwards, before placing his foot onto her rear. She let out a momentary cry of pain, before lashing out at him with her legs, sending a forceful backwards kick into his chest. Hopefully that would get her loose from his grip, and they'll be back to fighting again on even grounds.

[Orin Fenix]

Claudia seemed oddly focused on Orin’s stomach, which Orin put down to his completely unfair cheap shot at her own gut. After all, if someone pulled that on Orin, he would want to get some retribution as well. Still, it left her oddly open to Orin’s own strikes even as her fists hammered his abdomen. Orin cursed his lack of actual ab muscles. It hurt a lot more when Orin got hit in an area that was unprotected by muscles. Orin had no idea why this was, simply that it was. Soft flesh was much less durable than muscles or bone apparently. On the bright side it seemed to heal more quickly. Still, these fact wouldn’t change anything at this particular moment in time. In the future though, Orin might want to start cultivating his own strength. He was tired of not only being outmuscled by opponents but also being treated as though he was useless because his body didn’t have that toned look people associated with warriors.

Orin had to focus on the fight here and now instead of planning future training. His fist sailed into to connect solidly into her shoulder and even though she didn’t have a noticeable reaction Orin knew by the force traveling through his arm that it must have hit hard enough to bruise. In retaliation Claudia hammered Orin’s own arm. Since Orin had already committed to his other attack it slammed into Orin and pain blossomed. However, Orin now had discovered something very important about Claudia. She appeared to be an entirely reactionary fighter, targeting the same areas that Orin had just hit. Orin didn’t know why, perhaps because she was an emotional combatant or because she was running on instinct. Nor did it particularly matter, as long as Orin could use it. He bet that if he started using feints she get completely overwhelmed. And probably do her best to block them, leaving her wide open for any of the other strikes Orin might care to use.

Orin was incredibly pleased when he did manage to knock Claudia at least slightly off-balance with his throw. However, what came next caught Orin completely off guard. She kicked back at Orin and it smashed solidly into Orin’s chest. Orin released Claudia as he stumbled backwards. Unfortunately Orin wasn’t very steady on his own feet. The extra push from Claudia’s feet knocked Orin backwards and Orin toppled. Landing on his rear Orin managed to catch himself on his forearms before any more damage could be done. Orin knew that his body would feel the pain not only in his chest where Claudia’s kick had connected but also everywhere he’d hit the unpadded earth for quite a while. It was what Orin got for underestimating Claudia’s prowess. Also, Orin had been so certain of his own success that he’d left himself completely open to a counterattack. He’d have be more careful in the future when he committed.

Rolling away from Claudia Orin stopped on his stomach and pushed himself to his feet. Squaring off against the former squire Orin grinned. He was, against all expectations, enjoying himself. Orin tried not to think too hard about what it meant that picking up bruises and hurting himself deliberately being fun meant about Orin’s overall mental help. Still, Claudia and Orin seemed to be fairly well matched and that meant that unlike most bouts where Orin was clearly the lesser fighter, Orin could actually go all out and not be constantly on the defensive. Falling back a few paces so Claudia knew he wouldn’t pull the same sneak attack twice, Orin nodded at her. ”Nice blow, caught me completely by surprise. Ready to keep going?” Orin was still smiling. He’d had no idea that fighting could actually be considered fun, as long as both participants weren’t actively trying to kill the other and just work on their martial abilities. Orin could actually get used to this. That didn’t mean he’d necessarily go out of his way to spar but if the opportunity presented itself then Orin wouldn’t back down.

[Claudia Blackwood]

There was a pretty high chance of Orin wondering why she kept aiming for his stomach instead of the other parts of his body. That was probably highly attributed to the dirty sneak attack he had pulled on her way earlier, at the beginning of the fight. Another reason was that once Claudia had her sights on something, she gets really stubborn about it, and would be reluctant to switch targets. That was one of her weaknesses and she was still working on trying to improve on that.

Anyway, she could see that her attacks were repeated strikes to the same area, his stomach seemed to be affecting him quite a bit anyway. It was understandable, as unless one had abs or any sort, hitting one's stomach was always a terribly painful situation to be in. She wasn't really a fan of playing dirty, but if she had to, she would. As morally upright as she was, she could also be the pragmatic sort, refusing to let morals get in the way of what she desires. Stubbornness was a part of her.

She really needed to formulate a plan here. Just punching and kicking away whenever she felt like it wasn't going to work most of the time. Strategising and coming up with tactics for battles was an necessary and important task. A thinking fighter is a dangerous fighter. Instincts alone only helps you so far, but coupled with strategy and tactics, it can turn an ordinary thug into a formidable combatant. It means that he had more than just force and brawn at his disposal. But due to her spontaneous personality, Claudia didn't usually plan things ahead, especially in fights.

She did what she wanted, when she felt like it. It had gotten her into trouble more often than not, but that was who she is, and she hadn't really seen the need to change before. After seeing the changes it can do in battle, she was slowly trying to incorporate thinking and planning to her fights and battles. One can only get so far with just their fists. This would be a good time to start practising that.

The quick punch that came from Orin sailed with much force towards her shoulder, which would no doubt leave her with a bruise. She sighed, that would ache for quite a while. Fortunately that left her with an opening, and she took it hammering in a blow towards his arms. But before she knew it, the two were no longer facing each other, and the next thing she knew, she had been thrown, as she hit the ground with a 'THUD'. She let out a slight grimace as her butt felt sore landing on the hard sandy ground. Recovering quickly, she gave a backwards kick to him, which promptly put him off balance. Ahhh, great. She thought to herself.

She had managed to catch him off guard. He was probably too caught up in the fact that he had thrown her off. She saw him clutch his chest as he was thrown off balance, staggering several steps backwards before he landed on the ground, hitting his butt as well. "Hah!" she remarked in satisfaction, delighted that he had felt the same as she did earlier when she ended up on the ground. She crossed her arms she looked at him smugly on the ground.

Orin then rolled away from her, attempting to get out of her reach. He stopped on his stomach and pushed himself up to his feet. This fight was really interesting. Sparring with the cookman had been infinitely more exciting than she had ever hoped it to be. Both of them seemed evenly matched, neither more powerful than the other. The two of them had exchanged plenty of blows, and given each other bruises, and had both landed on their butts. Sparring with someone, whose skill level was on the similar level to yours, can make for a really interesting fight indeed. She would remember that for the future. In most cases, Claudia would either be the one on the losing end, or had to struggle really hard to stay in the fight.

She remembered one fight in particular, where her opponent, a man a lot taller and larger in size than she was, had pummeled her to the ground. His skill was a lot better than hers, and he had brute force on his side. She had foolishly challenged him, and he had thought her the fool, and didn't use much of his strength at all. She was thankful for that; she could have been hurt a lot badly that day. She had learnt one thing though. Not to challenge bigger men until she had the skills to back it up.

Her skill of the unarmed was nothing to be praised about, and improving it would only increase her capability as a fighter. As Orin fell back a few more paces, he commented "Nice blow, caught me completely by surprise. Ready to keep going?" She then replied "Thanks. I had hoped to achieve that. Good job, me." before letting out a joyful chuckle. She then crossed her arms and she pointed a finger towards him and taunted "You're not thinking of stopping already, are you?"

[Orin Fenix]

There was a wild roar in Orin’s ears and Orin was shocked to find that it was a mix of exhilaration and adrenalin. Usually the only emotions Orin felt in a fight were fear or anger. However, in most cases Orin didn’t really stand a chance against whatever it was he was fighting and was forced to rely on the strength and skill of others. And that was never a pleasant situation. In fact, Orin had been taught self-sufficiency from a very early age although it wasn’t something that he’d been trained it. But every person who ever had care of Orin hadn’t treated Orin well, from his father to the families at Mithryn Outpost who had taken Orin in. After a while, Orin had realized that if he was going to survive it would have to be without the help of others. Which didn’t mean that Orin wouldn’t help those in need. In fact, it had probably sharpened Orin’s protective instinct. Orin would lend a hand to those who couldn’t fend for themselves because Orin didn’t want them to feel the sharp ache of loneliness that Orin had growing up. Especially if it didn’t cost Orin anything more than a few kind words or a shoulder to cry on.

On the flip side Orin’s upbringing had left him far too afraid to trust in the kindness of others. If the people who should’ve have loved and cared for Orin the most had betrayed him and left him broken and battered, there was no way Orin could bring himself to trust that strangers who had no ties to him would treat him right. It was why Orin had so much trouble accepting the bonds of friendship at face value. Orin desperately wished that he could trust in what others offered. But he still, after nearly two seasons of being in Syliras and standing on his own two feet, couldn’t do it. So while Orin was perfectly happy to be a friend and confidant to others he probably wouldn’t ever feel as if he could bring his barriers down. However, his bond with Sylvette was doing its best to break down those walls. After all she was already there whether Orin liked it or not. But Orin was having incredible difficulty in letting himself handle having that sort of relationship. It was hard, so Orin was trying to force an indefinable set of ties between the two of them into concrete rules and behaviors. Orin had always been much better in the realm of the observable than he would ever be in the intangible world of people’s minds, thoughts, and feelings.

Still this was neither the time nor the place for such an intimate inner scrutiny. Although it was strange where and when these ideas popped up. Orin would never have imagined that in the midst of a sparring match he would find himself examining his problems connecting to others. Shaking the last vestiges of those thoughts out of his mind, Orin stepped into a boxing stance, both arms coming up to his chest. ”Nah. I think I got a few more rounds in me.” With that, Orin moved into striking distance. His respect for Claudia’s abilities had gone sharply higher after she’d managed to knock him down even as he’d done the same to her. So Orin would have to plan out his next series of moves very carefully. Especially since they weren’t actively trying to cause too much pain to each other. Orin didn’t feel particularly interested in trading kicks and punches. So Orin would try to throw Claudia to the ground again. This time, though Orin would do it in a way that would hopefully not leave him open to the same type of retaliation that Claudia had hit Orin with earlier.

Letting out a wild yell that Orin hoped would draw attention upwards Orin threw a punch aiming for Claudia’s already bruised shoulder. His technique was a little off, but he’d managed to pivot his chest and legs enough that there was some force behind the blow. As his leg came forward for the follow-through from the punch, Orin tried to stealthily hook it behind Claudia’s own leg. If all went according to plan, the punch would cause her to stumble backwards a few paces. She’d trip over Orin’s outstretched foot and come crashing down. Hopefully if his punch connected to her already pained shoulder, the pain would distract her enough that she wouldn’t see the trip coming and wouldn’t be in a coherent enough state to arrest her downward movement. Or, at least, she’d be so hurt that she wouldn’t think of a clever way to get back at Orin this time around.

Not that Orin wasn’t adverse to a little pain if it taught him a good lesson. For instance, when throwing an opponent down it was important to dodge any blows they might send on their way to the ground. Orin’s chest still smarted from Claudia’s kick. That girl has got to have some mule in her blood somewhere. This time, though, Orin was reasonably confident that Claudia’s options would be limited. Still Orin braced himself for the next strike from her. He couldn’t imagine she’d let him get this close without attempting any blows of her own.